Techno-withdrawal

One of the most challenging things for me while hiking will almost-definitely-maybe be the lack of readily available technological perks. I mean, I was just sitting here wondering which movies were considered “cult classics” so I googled it, and there are multiple wikipedia pages devoted to the subject. (I was also uncertain as to whether or not my zombie apocalypse plan was a sound one, but that search turned up so many theories and ideas that I got overwhelmed and aborted.)

I realized how severe my dependence on technology is in the past month. To be more specific, the internet has me nearly addicted. I read a buzzfeed article the other day about “unplugging camps” for teens that are severely addicted to the internet. They are, physically and emotionally, completely zoned out when it comes to anything outside of computer interaction. They don’t know how to communicate face-to-face with other human beings, and they experience sensory overload when confronted with what I would consider the “natural world”. While I am not at that state, I am at a point where I can see how that is completely possible.

I understand that the online world (like, the blogging community, for example…) has definite advantages; the ability to interact with other people who have similar interests has never been so easy, and our world is very quickly becoming smaller and smaller, as far as communication goes. I know someone who literally traveled to the opposite end of the world to meet a potential mate, from an online dating website. They would never have had any possibility of meeting, a mere 15-or-so years ago. BUT, our reliance, as the human race, on technology, has NEVER been so severe.

I was on a canoe trip with my brothers less than a month ago, and I was actually suffering withdrawal symptoms; I was way more anxious than usual, had a hard time falling asleep, and had a much harder time focusing on anything, including the simple act of paddling or portaging.

In conclusion, I have realized that this is a very real reason that anyone should spend some significant time in the wilderness. Our world as we know it is not necessarily how we were designed to live. Without intending to creep into conspiracy theory territory, I do believe that the technology that we have come to see as necessary is numbing our minds, and completely destroying everything that makes us individuals, as we were created to be different from one another.

And so, removal from the technological world that has so entrapped my mind has been added to my list. Which I think was part of why I wanted to hike in the first place, but now I have found myself able to put words to the thoughts… I love when that happens.